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Inaugural Carol Shields Symposium

WINNIPEG, April 14 /CNW/ - The University of Winnipeg and Random House
Canada are picking up 'Dropped Threads' with an inaugural Carol Shields
Symposium on Women's Writing: Festival of Voices on May 8 - 10, 2009 in
Convocation Hall. The symposium celebrates Carol Shields' work and legacy with
three days of presentations, writing workshops, discussions, and performances
exploring trends in writing and creativity.
"The Shields family is excited about the Festival of Voices," said her
daughters Sara and Catherine Shields. "It brims with the same intelligence,
optimism, and nerve that Carol brought to her desk and the work of redeeming
and restoring - in fiction, poetry, plays, essays and biography - women's
lives to history and their communities."
CBC's Writer &amp; Company host Eleanor Wachtel along with critically
acclaimed Canadian writers including Joan Barfoot - Sandra Birdsell - Gail
Anderson-Dargatz - Joan Clark - Lorna Crozier - Andrew Davidson - Jane
Urquhart plus contributors of the three Dropped Threads anthologies - will be
participating in this first of a tri-annual national event for writers,
readers and all who are drawn to exploration and celebration of writing and
our country's wealth in creative artists.
Anne Collins, Vice President, Publisher, Random House Canada who
published both Carol Shields's fiction in Canada and the Dropped Threads
anthologies, said, "I can imagine how thrilled Carol would be by this
gathering. If we all bring even a smidgeon of her enthusiasm and generosity to
the proceedings, we'll raise the roof as well as create a wonderful living
tribute to one of our greatest writers."
Award-winning Canadian composer Randolph Peters has been commissioned to
create a choral piece based on Shields' writings that will premiere at the
symposium.
The official opening of the Carol Shields Memorial Labyrinth in King's
Park, which will take place on Sunday, May 10, 2009, will be part of the
Symposium and will include participation from the Shields' family.
For registration and details on the symposium, please visit
http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/index/festival-of-voices.

For further information:

For further information: Naniece Ibrahim, The University of Winnipeg, P:
(204) 988-7130, E: n.ibrahim@uwinnipeg.ca; Sharon Klein, Random House Canada,
sklein@randomhouse.com